


Severed Bond

by All_My_Characters_Are_Dead



Series: Mages and Familiars [2]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-23
Updated: 2016-02-23
Packaged: 2018-05-22 21:29:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,361
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6094561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/All_My_Characters_Are_Dead/pseuds/All_My_Characters_Are_Dead
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Before Kageyama met Hinata and Oikawa met Iwaizumi, Kageyama was Oikawa's familiar. </p><p>Or: Oikawa Breaks Up With Kageyama</p>
            </blockquote>





	Severed Bond

**Author's Note:**

  * For [taishainu](https://archiveofourown.org/users/taishainu/gifts).



> taishainu wanted to know exactly what happened when Oikawa severed Kageyama's bond, so here you go!   
> taishainu is also the one who suggested the name Aohiko for Kageyama's bond name.

Oikawa was the Guildmaster of Aoba Josei, even though he didn't have a familiar. Out of respect for their leader - and possibly a little fear as well - the Aoba Josei mages didn't mention Oikawa's lack of a familiar directly, but they did occasionally invite potential familiars to visit the Guild Hall, hoping that one would catch their Guildmaster's eye. One such familiar was Kageyama, a young demon who was the second youngest member of the crow group, with only the shy little healer Yachi being younger than him. Despite his youth, Kageyama quickly made a name for himself after a mage tried to force Yachi into a bond, and Kageyama instinctively turned the mage's magic into an attack instead of a bond and doubled it back on said mage, sending him running for his life from his own magic.

The story was overheard by a traveling Aoba Josei mage, who invited Kageyama to come back to the Guild. Kageyama was exploring the Guild Hall's many corridors when Oikawa found him.

"You're the demon who manipulates magic, Kageyama, right?" Oikawa asked, eyeing Kageyama curiously.

"I don't know. That's what people are saying I did, though," the demon answered. "Who are you?"

"I'm Oikawa Tooru, the Guildmaster here," Oikawa told him. "My magic is similar to your powers. I could teach you," he offered. Kageyama hesitated. After all, his home was with the crow group. Of course, none of them had the same level of magical manipulation ability everyone seemed to think Kageyama had.

"I don't know," Kageyama said.

"Take your time," Oikawa assured him. "Though before you decide, I should tell you that I don't just teach people for free." Kageyama's eyes widened, and he took a step back. "Oh, don't worry, I'm not going to make you do anything horrible. But I'm in need of a familiar. So if you want me to teach you, I want you to consider becoming my familiar in return." Kageyama considered for a moment. He knew that once a familiar offered to bond with a mage, if the mage accepted and formed the connection, that connection stayed in place unless one of them died, or a mage severed the bond. The idea of not being able to go back to the crows was intimidating, but at the same time, the thought of a bond that would last as long as both people were alive was appealing. Comforting, even.

"Okay," Kageyama said before he could reconsider. "I'll be your familiar if you teach me how to use this power." Oikawa grinned.

"Excellent! Do you know the ceremony?"

"Only the basics that everyone memorizes," Kageyama replied. "I've never thought about personalizing it." Oikawa shrugged.

"The words aren't as important as the magic they invoke," Oikawa informed him. Kageyama took a deep breath.

"Okay. I, Kageyama, a demon, offer myself as your familiar," he said steadily. Oikawa reached out and poked Kageyama's forehead, leaving his fingertip against the demon's skin.

"I, Oikawa Tooru, choose the demon Kageyama as my familiar. As a symbol of our bond, I name you Aohiko," Oikawa announced. The magic settled over them both, and Kageyama thought it felt like someone had put a rock in the back of his head. It was a strange sensation, but he figured he would get used to it.

A year later, Kageyama hardly noticed the weight of the bond in his mind; he was too busy working with any mage who would let him try manipulating their magic. He'd spent the first several months following Oikawa around constantly, watching intently every time the enchanter used his magic to manipulate someone else's, then trying to copy what he saw. Oikawa gave him advice at first, but as Kageyama improved, something strange happened. Oikawa stopped giving him advice, and stopped letting Kageyama follow him around. Kageyama was sent to work with low-ranking mages who didn't have familiars, or with groups of mages and familiars who weren't used to working together, so their powers sometimes got out of hand. The two of them argued, Kageyama wanting to learn more, and Oikawa telling him to go figure it out on his own. They fought, verbally lashing out at each other in frustration.

Kageyama overheard people talking about him all the time. Sometimes they were complementing his skill, his precision. Other times, they were whispering about how he always looked angry, a stark contrast to the mage he was bonded with. Unfortunately, Kageyama wasn't the only one who overheard these things. And while the complaints about Kageyama's demeanor made the familiar nervous, it was the praise the demon received that made Oikawa's cheerful smile fade. There was one conversation in particular he happened to overhear that made his blood freeze in his veins.

"Oikawa made a good choice this time," one of the senior mages was murmuring to another. "I hope he keeps this one." Oikawa frowned; the number of familiars he'd bonded with only to release them was no one's business but his.

"I agree. But when Oikawa eventually gets old and retires, I hope he'll release Kageyama and let him bond with another mage. Demons live so much longer than humans do, after all. We wouldn't want to lose Kageyama's talent just because Oikawa gets old."

Oikawa felt his face go pale. He knew Kageyama was brilliant, had been avoiding his familiar lately because he realized he didn't have anything else to really teach the demon, but the demon was still hungry for improvement, for new tricks. Now, the senior mages didn't seem nearly as upset about the inevitability of Oikawa's death as they were about the idea of Kageyama leaving the Guild when Oikawa retired or died. Kageyama was more valuable to them than Oikawa was.

Fear lanced through him. If that was true, what was to stop them from getting a strong elemental mage and asking Oikawa to release Kageyama's bond so they could pair the most skilled familiar in the Guild with a mage whose abilities were more impressive than Oikawa's? Oikawa could be easily replaced as long as the Guild had Kageyama, because Kageyama was already capable of duplicating any of the magical skills Oikawa had spent his life perfecting.

Without being completely sure what he was doing, he reached out, sensing Kageyama's power, and making his way to the demon. Kageyama was in the courtyard, and he smiled and hurried to greet Oikawa, only to stop and tilt his head in confusion when he saw the expression on the mage's face. Oikawa didn't know what that expression might be, but he could feel his features twisting with his fear and frustration. Through all the fighting, Kageyama still stayed hopeful that eventually things would be the way they should be between mage and familiar, that eventually he and Oikawa would get along. Even though several of Oikawa's previous familiars had asked to be released after a single argument with him, Kageyama had stayed for months, for more fights than Oikawa could count.

"This isn't working any more, Aohiko," Oikawa said without preamble. Kageyama tensed; Oikawa never used his bond name. Never. The enchanter had sometimes called him Ao-chan, before they started fighting, when there was no one around to hear and potentially try to guess the bond name. But since they bonded, Oikawa had never used Kageyama's full bond name.

"What do you mean?" Kageyama asked. Oikawa reached up and touched his forehead.

"I mean, I'm releasing you from the bond, Aohiko. I reject your name and sever my ties to you," the enchanter announced. Kageyama's eyes widened, and he swayed as Oikawa's hand fell. The weight at the back of his mind was gone, and it left him feeling light-headed. "Go back to the crows, if they'll take you back," Oikawa growled. Then he turned and strode into the Guild Hall, leaving Kageyama staring after him incredulously.

Just like that, Kageyama was alone. He didn't know if the crows would accept him - he'd heard they had a new leader now, a wind spirit named Ukai - but he supposed that was his only option now that the bond was gone. Now that Oikawa had rejected him.

**Author's Note:**

> This is kind of short and messy, so I might come back and edit this later.


End file.
